Belleville – – October 14, 2026 -- Illinois American Water put 125 employees to work at 13 local organizations last month, logging more than 475 volunteer hours during its AmerICANs In Action! Month of Service.
The projects addressed food insecurity, neighborhood revitalization, environmental stewardship, youth needs and community health in communities the utility serves. Company President Rebecca Losli described the program as a commitment to living out company values through local giving.
Volunteers packed 5,500 diapers and sorted food donations
In Champaign, volunteers packed more than 5,500 diapers for the Bottom Line Diaper Bank through United Way of Champaign County. At Eastern Illinois Foodbank in Urbana, which provided 11.7 million meals to nearly 200 agencies and programs in the past year, they sorted donations.
Teams also staffed Got Faith Ministry's food pantry in Jerseyville and West Suburban Community Pantry in Woodridge, where employees pre-assembled recipe packages for donation. In Alton, staff ran a bedding drive and built beds for Sleep in Heavenly Peace. In Peoria, they hosted an American Red Cross mobile blood drive.
Cleanups removed truckloads of tires from the Vermillion River
Volunteers helped haul truckloads of tires from the river during the Livingston County Environmental Association's 15th Vermillion River Clean-Up in Pontiac. In Peoria, they collected trash along the riverfront at the Illinois River Sweep, which is funded by a 2026 American Charitable Foundation Water & Environment Grant.
Crews built a wheelchair ramp and demolished abandoned East St. Louis properties
Employees built a wheelchair ramp and an entertainment center for an elderly homeowner with Rebuilding Together Southwest Illinois in Alton. In East St. Louis, they joined the Regional Business Council and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis on the Clean Up, Build Up project, demolishing abandoned properties and clearing brush and debris.
Staff also supported fundraising events. They handed out water at Heart Haven OutReach's Cheesy Pretzel 5K in Bolingbrook and volunteered at Project Compassion's 5th Charity Golf Tournament in Belleville. In Streator, they supplied water at the Roamer Cruise Night and Car Show, which drew an estimated 20,000 attendees and more than 600 antique cars.
Heart Haven OutReach Executive Director Ryan Lawrence said corporate volunteers, including Illinois American Water's, expand the nonprofit's capacity to support local students.